Thursday, October 28, 2010

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Nebraska has been the bastion of conservative thinking for as long as anyone can remember...a state in precision lock-step with the Republican Party. It's time for change though...and here is your opportunity to help make that change...while making a little change yourself.

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The Ogallala Aquifer...covering 174,000 square miles and extending over eight High Plains states...provides nearly all the water for residential...industrial...and agricultural use. Because of widespread irrigation...farming accounts for 94 percent of the groundwater use. It is truly the lifeblood for our region.

"Because of the Ogallala...the High Plains is the leading irrigation area in the Western Hemisphere. Close to 13.6 million acres are irrigated in the Ogallala region. The leading state irrigating from the Ogallala is Nebraska (46%), followed by Texas (30%) and Kansas (14%)." The Ogallala Aquifer is being depleted at an alarming rate and some studies suggest that it will run dry within the next 25 years.

OK...it's time to share what I think of the XL Pipeline. If you research Nebraska pipelines...you will find there are already over 20,000 miles of pipeline...one kind or another...running throughout our state. Pipelines parallel both sides of the Platte and Republican river valleys nearly the entire length of our state. These pipelines have been in place for years...there are routine aircraft flights that frequently check Nebraska's oil pipelines looking for leaks. The industry says that when it comes to moving oil or natural gas...pipelines are by far the safest method of transport. I could go on and on but I won't. It's a safe industry and technology makes it safer with each passing day.

The recently invented "XL issue" is in its entirety an election year "Pitch a Bitch" contrived by Jane Kleeb and her local gang of "Hippie Wannabe Leftists" in an attempt to smear politicians they don't like. Guilt by association..."Evil Heineman"..."Evil Johanns"..."Evil Smith"..."Evil (fill in the blank)"...etc...etc...etc.

Nice try Jane...but you missed the friggin' boat...completely. You missed the part where agriculture is probably the prime enemy of the Ogallala out here in the "NEB". For many years I have pointed out that Nebraska irrigation is majorly responsible for the Ogallala's depletion and future demise. I will not mention how our "Stewards of the Land" are poisoning it with chemicals...all while our friends in the Unicameral and other "electeds" ignore the long term outcome. The pipeline is the least of our "issues." Pssst...have you ever seen a plot of all the oil wells in Nebraska and where they sit? We could have a "Deepwater" event right here in Huskerland...what would that do to the "Og"? Get moving Jane...kill the oil fields too.

It's also hilarious how after Jane's "P a B" surfaced in the media that our state and national "electeds" immediately backed away from the XL Pipeline saying we should rethink it...even the desperate Ben Nelson jumped on board. It's my opinion that our "electeds" didn't miss the boat...they flat fell out of it. They should have grabbed the economic bull by the horns and touted how the XL is one of the best things that could happen in our state...offering new jobs...new industry and a boost to our economy. And are you ready for this? What they should have said is that it's time for Nebraska to consider building a new...state of the art...high tech and environmentally friendly OIL REFINERY right here in the "NEB" to process the Canadian crude. We need to replace the aging refineries along the Gulf Coast and Nebraska has a lot to offer including a secure distribution point in the very middle of the U.S. How much difference is there between an oil refinery and our local water hog ethanol plants anyway?

Fossil fuels are not going away...in 1960 there were 74,000,000 registered automobiles in the U.S...and in 2008...close to 256,000,000...and that doesn't include fossil fuel consuming trains...boats...planes and public transit buses. We aren't going to reduce the use of fossil fuel burners to zero in our lifetime...or in our children's lifetime. We can still be "earth friendly" by building safe refineries and pipelines while transitioning to nuclear power and if it has to be...building a forest of ugly and inefficient wind and solar farms. In the meantime maybe we can look into extracting oil from oil-rich Montana and North Dakota instead of relying on foreign oil be it from Saudi Arabia or Canada. Looks to me that the Canadian oil is headed to foreign markets anyway.

No...the XL Pipeline is no threat to Nebraska or to the Ogallala Aquifer...we should take advantage of it...prosper from it...you know...be "progessive." And in the meantime...like yesterday...we better be giving serious consideration to reducing irrigation and look at growing crops that are suited to our climate. We should be extending the life of the Ogallala here in the "NEB" as come one day a gallon of water will be much more valuable than a gallon of gas.

A couple of other funny things...elements of Jane's goon squad are working against her on this. Validates the theory that "Money Talks...and Bullshit Walks." Finally...what the hell was Heineman thinking when he/his campaign took donations from XL? Flags popped up on this move that even a third grader would notice.

On a different note...because I find it funny too...one of our local television news anchors is referring to hopeless Mike Meister...Dem. candidate for Governor...as..."Mister Meister." That sounds like a name you would give your cat or a Ron Popeil gadget you would use to spray your flowers with.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Journalist Juan Williams firing from NPR this week is really no shocker. Living in western Nebraska for several years NPR and Nebraska Public Radio was one of the few "news sources" available...local Scottsbluff/Gering television was laughable at best...KDUH lived to it's call-sign and you relied heavily on radio for your touch to the world. Western Nebraska was news starved. I guess when you're living the good life though it doesn't matter. I bet Smith and Meister traded copies of Doc Savage growing up. Well maybe Meister did.

NPR was a common stop late in the afternoon and Juan Williams was one of their few commentator's that I took time out for when he came on the air. I surmised him to be a moderate liberal that appeared to do a little research for his reports. His move...and Mara Liasson's move...to Fox were a bit of a surprise when it first happened but they have both settled in nicely and seem a good fit for the touted "fair and balanced" bunch...although I choose to believe they have both "seen the light" and were evolving...shedding their liberal leaning views.

Getting back to the gist of things...despite what some would say is "political-in-correct speak" on Williams' part...even though the majority of us agree with what he said...the crowner to me is that NPR has been after Williams since his alignment with Fox and since Fox is the Progressive's favorite news source to bash...what better week to can him than during NPR's fund raising week. "Keep those checks coming in folks...we had to eat one of our own...but that's ok...we're NPR...we're publicly funded and it seems we are going to have todevour Mara too." Williams won't even look back over his shoulder...he'll write another book...make even more money...and be happy at Fox.

Since moving to central Nebraska and Al Gore's invention of the internet...news and commentary travels at the speed of light...no more 28 WPM teletypes to rip and read from...NPR has fallen by the wayside. News comes so fast today that what's read in the local foot-wide newspaper (local foot-wide newspaper = smaller than a Jimmy John's...much slower and much less enjoyable) is two days...sometimes two weeks old before it reaches your door step. The only thing keeping our local foot-wide alive is the obituaries (how's that for irony?)...if the local mortician could only afford a good server and web designer.